The more we learn, the more we grow, and the same is true for the brain. It’s amazing how the brain can react, grow, and adapt to stimuli whether educational, environmental or from an injury. We understand brain rehab that needs to occur after a stroke or brain injury for it to relearn old and new information. This natural ability of our brain to create new connections to compensate for changes is called neuroplasticity. Essentially, your brain is plastic!
A Plastic Brain
Neuroplasticity continues to be researched to find new and different ways to help those adapting to changes in their brains due to injury or disease. But understanding your brain is plastic is important for everyone, not just those experiencing brain issues.
The process of neuroplasticity allows us to continue to use it to not lose it as the saying goes. This saying is based on the brain’s ability to keep growing brain connections as long as we continue to use it. That is why challenging our brains each day is important.
I advocate for the importance of brain fitness, mental aerobics, brain games for everyone. It’s that important. No matter what we do each day, we should be stimulating our brains for at least 60 minutes. This is easily done when we are young and engaging in mind invigorating work or school each day. But it shouldn’t end when we graduate or stop working. On weekends, vacations, and in retirement we still need to exercise our brains. This is where the exciting part comes in; being creative with how we engage our brains can be fun!
Evenings, weekends, vacations, and retirement can be all about challenging our brains outside the normal routine of our days. Exploring new opportunities, adventures, foods, events and games are all ways to exercise your brain. Stretching your brain with others can make it even more appealing, as it includes socialization which is also beneficial for your brain.
Activate your brain, let that neuroplasticity work for you and have fun with it! Research shows the more varied ways we use our brains, the better our brains will work now and as we age. Your brain is plastic, so use it’s moldable ability to keep it strong as you age! For more tips and hundreds of mental fitness exercises to boost your brain, check out my Brain Boosters books here!